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News 18 Sep, 2012

News 18 Sep, 2012

Latest spy shots provide our first glimpse under the bonnet of the BMW M3

European car sales fell 9 percent in August for an 11th straight monthly decline led by Ford, GM and Fiat and mid-market brands bore the brunt of the slump in markets including Italy, France and Germany.

Land Rover could add a luxury SUV below the compact-sized Evoque, the brand's design director said. "Certainly, I think we can go smaller," Gerry McGovern told Automotive News Europe.

Land Rover could add a luxury SUV below the compact-sized Evoque, the brand's design director said. "Certainly, I think we can go smaller," Gerry McGovern told Automotive News Europe.

Several Japanese automakers shuttered assembly plants and dealerships in the world's second-biggest economy as a territorial dispute and the anniversary of Japan's invasion of China prompted thousands to protest in Beijing, Shanghai and other...

From GMM

Robert Kubica has hit back at reports he should sit back rather than risk life and limb in a rally car.

After a 19-month recuperation from horror injuries sustained during a minor Italian rally in early 2011, the Pole is finally back in action.

Despite not having the full mobility of his right arm, he won an Italian rally earlier this month, but then crashed the Subaru Impreza in a second outing last weekend.

He was not hurt, but some pundits - including a columnist for the influential Italian daily La Gazzetta dello Sport - are calling for the former BMW and Renault driver to call it a day.

Robert Kubica aboard the Subaru Impreza. (Photo: FirstMotorsport.com)

"I was not driving dangerously," Kubica insisted to Polish television Polsat. "The road was just dirtier than usual. For now I'm going back to rehabilitation. My plans for the future will become apparent in due course."

Polish sources say Kubica is planning more rally outings in the immediate future, with the company in charge of preparing Kubica's Subaru saying Kubica has instructed the damaged car be fixed.

But Kubica admitted that his F1 aspirations are on hold for now.

"At the moment I have enough to drive a rally car, but not a single seater," he is quoted by French television TF1.

Kubica is, however, refusing to close the chapter.

"I still have too many limitations to drive a car on a track," he said in an interview with Italy's Omnicorse. "And I'm not talking about a formula one car, I mean any single seater."

Asked whether he will overcome those limitations in time, he admitted: "I don't know. It will take a little luck and not everything depends on me. It may sound bad, but hope dies last. And believing costs nothing. I still believe, but I am also realistic. The road I have ahead of me is still long, with much work to do. It's not as if I would feel completely lost if I cannot return to F1."

From GMM

Red Bull wants Renault to dump its alternator supplier.

The reigning champions have been dogged by a recurring reliability problem in 2012, which cost Sebastian Vettel victory at Valencia and crucial points at Monza.

The faulty component, which has also failed in other Renault-powered cars this year including the Lotus and the Pirelli test car, is the alternator supplied by Italian company Magneti Marelli.

"I want Renault to separate from its supplier Magneti Marelli and use someone else," Red Bull team boss Dietrich Mateschitz is quoted by Germany's Auto Bild Motorsport.

Sebastian Vettel retired at Monza due to an alternator failure. (Photo: WRi2)

Renault Sport's Remi Taffin confirmed that the French marque is considering its works partner's request.

Despite a testy relationship between Red Bull and McLaren, it is believed one of the only ready alternatives to Magneti Marelli is McLaren Electronic Systems (MES).

From GMM

With fresh Paralympic gold around his neck, Alex Zanardi is eyeing the German touring car series DTM as his next goal.

Since losing his legs in a 2011 crash, the former F1 driver has completed the last laps of that ill-fated CART race, won world touring car races for BMW, tested a BMW-Sauber, and soared to the very top of the world of hand-cycling.

Alex Zanardi (Photo: London Paralympic Games)

According to Germany's Auto Motor und Sport, he is now keen to smell burning rubber again.

A spokesman for BMW confirmed that the 45-year-old Italian has been in contact -- about DTM.

"If he had his way," said the spokesman, "he would be with us at the next race. We are not saying categorically no, but also not categorically yes."

BMW motor sport director Jens Marquardt added: "There are many issues to be considered first of all, from a purely design point of view, and also for safety."

And the spokesman explained that there is probably not time to explore the possibility this season.

Before winning four races in a hand-controlled WTCC car for BMW Team Italy-Spain, Zanardi contested 44 grands prix for Jordan, Minardi, Lotus and Williams.

From GMM

Valtteri Bottas has admitted he is very keen to end his reserve duties and join the formula one grid as soon as possible.

The Finn, who is managed by Williams' executive director Toto Wolff as well as Mika Hakkinen, usually replaces Bruno Senna on Friday mornings, and is tipped to step into the seat full-time next season.

Asked if he is ready for that, 22-year-old Bottas told Russia's f1news.ru: "Yes, I hope so, but at the moment the situation remains unchanged. I will do the Friday sessions, except in Singapore and Austin."

"As for a contract for next year, I don't know -- it's a fact," Bottas insisted. "But this season has taught me a lot, and I feel ready now. If I am offered the opportunity, I will of course take advantage of it. I think at some stage you just have to go for it, whether you are 90 or 100 per cent ready."

Valtteri Bottas and Toto Wolff. (Photo: Williams F1 Team)

Valtteri Bottas admitted he has been in a privileged situation in 2012, having enjoyed plenty of mileage in the FW34 despite F1's tightly-controlled testing limits.

"It's really the most a young driver can expect," he said. "But, of course, all my life I have been racing. It was impossible for me to take part in GP2 and Friday practice at the same time. So if I had to select my programme for this year again, undoubtedly we would have chosen the Friday practice. Concentrating solely on formula one was the best choice."

Bottas said he is reluctant to feel sorry for Senna, who has been giving up his car in practice and then often struggling for the rest of the weekend.

"When he signed the contract," the young Finn insisted, "he knew that on Fridays I would be at the wheel of the car. We try to act as a team, but if I was a race driver then I probably wouldn't like it either if someone else is driving my car. It's a normal reaction. This is my third year with Williams, and my role in the team has been always becoming more important. This team has become my home and I would very much like to continue to work here."

Third-generation racer Matthew Brabham added to his family's championship-winning pedigree claiming the Cooper Tires USF2000 Powered by Mazda Championship title at Virginia International Raceway last weekend.

Matthew Brabham and father Geoff. (Photo: Cooper Tires USF2000)

Matthew, grandson of Jack Brabham (F1 Champion) and son of Geoff Brabham (IMSA Champion) clinched the championship after a steady drive to eighth place in Race 2.

His rival Spencer Pigot posted the fastest lap in every session aboard his Cape Motorsports with Wayne Taylor Racing Van Diemen-Mazda, qualifying on the pole for both the weekend's rounds and never being headed for a single inch in the pair of 14-lap races.

Matthew Brabham saw his points advantage dwindle from 41 at the beginning of the weekend to just seven in the final tally, but that was all he required to tie up the Mazda scholarship prize, worth $375,000, which will enable him to move up to the Star Mazda Championship, the next rung on the Mazda Road to Indy ladder, in 2013.

From Pirelli

Pirelli's P Zero Yellow soft tires and P Zero Red supersoft have been nominated for the Marina Bay circuit in Singapore, the only race of the year that takes place at night.

Marina Bay is a street circuit where traction is critical as it contains the second-highest number of corners (23) seen all year. The asphalt tends to be bumpy and slippery, and grip is further compromised by street furniture such as manhole covers and painted white lines. Nonetheless, the cars manage to generate up to 4.3g under braking despite the lack of adhesion.

Photo: Pirelli

With 61 5.073-kilometre laps, which are run anti-clockwise, the race tends to come close to the full two-hour time limit, so coupled with the heat, humidity and constant bumps, this makes it a very physical experience for the drivers as well as tough on the cars and tyres. In the opening sequence of corners from turns one to three for example, there is a double change in direction that places particularly heavy demands on the tires.

The driver tends to leave the braking as late as possible, turning in and decelerating at the same time. This subjects the tyre to both longitudinal and lateral forces at the same time, working the structure hard. The integrity of the construction though guarantees the driver optimal precision and perfect adhesion to the racing line: vital in the tight confines of Singapore, where mistakes rarely go unpunished.

From a technical point of view one of the keys to set-up in Singapore track is finding good braking stability and maximum traction. It's a high downforce track that is hard on brake temperatures and still pretty bumpy, especially around turns 13 and 14, even after it was resurfaced in 2010.

Photo: Pirelli

The cars will start the Singapore Grand Prix with the heaviest fuel load of the year, which affects tire wear at the beginning of the race in particular. As well as being a long race, fuel consumption per kilometre is one of the highest of the year due to the stop-start nature of the circuit. Around half the lap is spent on full throttle, but there are also several braking areas.

An important factor affecting the race strategy is the time needed to make a pit stop. Singapore has one of the highest pit stop times of the year, due to a lower pit lane speed limit than most races (60kph) and a 404-metre pit lane.

Danica Patrick, mired in 11th in the Nationwide points, in her first full year will be getting a new crew chief, likely Ryan Pemberton.

On Monday afternoon Junior Motorsports released Tony Eury, Jr. as crew chief of Patrick's Number 7 Chevrolet.

Dale Earnhardt Jr., one of the owners of JR Motorsports, along with his sister Kelley and Rick Hendrick said in a statement “Unfortunately, Tony Jr. is no longer with the company,” he said. “I had hoped he would be here for a long time, but as we've discussed the direction of JR Motorsports moving forward, it was clear our differences in ideas were too vast to overcome.

I love him like a brother and you'll never hear me say a bad thing about him. I know he'll have much success in anything he does going forward. As for our No. 7 team, no decision has been made on who will crew chief that team this weekend at Kentucky Speedway. We will discuss our options and make a decision very soon.”

Danica Patrick and Tony Eury Jr. (Photo: NASCAR)

Tony Eury Sr. had been released as the team's competition director about 11 days ago. And more recently Pemberton, recently with Red Bull Racing, was hired by JR which leads to the likelihood that the veteran Sprint Cup level crew chief would become Patrick's crew chief.

Ironically Eury Jr. still has a part-ownership in JR Motorsports which makes his release as the team's spotlight driver very curious. He told Fox Sports “They're trying to fix the competition of the cars," Eury said. “They thought they could do better without me there. They hired Ryan and Ryan's their guy.”

About his ownership position he said “we're still in discussions about that,” Eury Jr. said.

Last year Patrick drove a part-time schedule while finishing her IndyCar commitment to Andretti Autosport. Her best finish this year was 8th at Texas Motor Speedway and she's crashed in four races. Next year she's going to a full-time Sprint Cup schedule with Stewart-Haas Racing.

Although recent Honda products may not look very exciting or competitive, they have an uncanny way of impressing us by delivering the goods without fuss. You can criticize the new Civic all you want about its bland styling and hit-and-miss interior, but it remains a solid, easy-to-live-with car that delivers solid fuel economy and reliability.

Same thing goes for the Honda Pilot. It's got rugged looks, but doesn't stand out from the crowd of midsize SUVs. It doesn't have the most powerful engine in its class, yet offers plenty of pep and decent fuel consumption. And it's got room for eight passengers -- eight normal-size passengers.


Efficient powertrain
The 2012 Honda Pilot features the company's well known 3.5L V6. In this application, it develops 250 hp and 253 lb-ft of torque, it includes cylinder deactivation for saving fuel under light loads, and is managed by a 5-speed automatic.

On paper, it seems low on power compared to a 270-hp Toyota Highlander or a 280-hp Volkswagen Touareg. However, the Honda Pilot's V6 and gearbox make the best out of the situation, as the big SUV accelerates from 0 to 100 km/h in 8.4 seconds.

It was also pretty quiet on the highway. A 6th gear would probably help fuel economy; at 100 km/h, the engine spun at 2,000 rpm, a little higher than expected. Still, the Pilot delivered an acceptable average of 11.8L/100km over the course of the week.

That included a weekend trip up in the woods with five people and gear on board. Driving down gravel roads was obviously not a problem for the high-riding 2012 Honda Pilot, and road noise was well isolated. More communicative steering would help to feel the road better -- although, that's more of a concern in the winter than in the summer.

The all-wheel drive system in the 2012 Honda Pilot is front-wheel biased; when a loss of traction is detected, engine power is sent to the back wheels. It's a reactive system, maybe not one of the best out there for battling a snowstorm, but the VTM-4 can be locked in four-wheel drive mode at the touch of a button for added confidence behind the wheel. On the other hand, you can only lock it while travelling under approximately 30 km/h.

The Pilot is equipped with a 250-hp 3.5L V6 that features fuel-saving cylinder deactivation technology. (Photo: Sébastien D'Amour)

Room for eight
The 2012 Honda Pilot is one of the rare SUVs in the midsize class that can accommodate up to eight passengers -- make that eight adult passengers. The square shape of the truck means there isn't a sloping rear roofline to cut down third-row headroom, and foot space back there is adequate.

As usual in three-row SUVs and crossovers, you either haul people or cargo, but can rarely carry both. In the Pilot's case, you do get 589 litres of cargo space when all seats are occupied, which isn't bad at all. Fold down both rows in the 2012 Honda Pilot and you get 2,464 litres of cargo volume; that's average in the category, and much less than in GM's immense Chevrolet Traverse, GMC Acadia and Buick Enclave triplets.

The 2012 Pilot's pilot gets a commanding view of the road ahead, with good all-around visibility and a good driving position. The Pilot is also a shopping mall parking-lot champ, with an excellent turning radius. As mentioned earlier, this Honda is extremely easy to live with, and behind the wheel it feels smaller than it really is.

The 2012 Honda Pilot is one of the rare SUVs in the midsize class that can accommodate up to eight passengers. (Photo: Sébastien D'Amour)

Interior improvements
This year, the Honda Pilot received a minor facelift as well as some changes to the interior assembly. The centre stack was revised; gone is the translucent faceplate, while the button layout has been shuffled around a bit. These aren't big changes, but stylistically it looks better even though it lacks the quality feel of a Volkswagen's cockpit.

The last Honda Pilot I drove had dash panels that didn't quite line up properly, but such was not the case in this 2012 version. The navigation and infotainment system's screen was updated with cleaner, sharper graphics, and remains easy to use. The Touring trim we tested also included a rear-seat DVD entertainment system with wireless headphones and extra output jacks which worked flawlessly while front-row occupants listened to music.

The centre stack was revised; gone is the translucent faceplate, while the button layout has been shuffled around a bit. (Photo: Sébastien D'Amour)

No-hassle trims and pricing
The 2012 Honda Pilot LX 2WD form starts at $34,920, while our top-shelf Touring version is listed at $48,520. Between those two extremes are four other trim levels with incrementally more equipment.

The domestic brands such as the aforementioned GMs, the Dodge Durango and the Ford Explorer offer more selection in trims, equipment and powertrains. They also have electronic safety gizmos the Pilot lacks, like blind-spot monitors and adaptive cruise control. Nevertheless, the Pilot is well equipped and its simplified model lineup makes the purchase process easy.

It may lack excitement, but the 2012 Honda Pilot is a solid SUV buy that simply makes the everyday grind much easier to handle.

The innovative Nissan DeltaWing is set to race in North America for the first time at the finale of the 2012 American Le Mans Series, the 1000-mile Petit Le Mans at Road Atlanta, October 27-20.

The revolutionary race car was designed to perform like a contemporary sports prototype while cutting weight, fuel consumption and tire use by half. It is powered by a specially developed 1.6-litre DIG-T Nissan engine.

The Nissan DeltaWing project, with ALMS founder Don Panoz as managing partner, will compete for the first time since its June debut at Le Mans. It retired from the French endurance classic after six hours, following contact with another car.

Photo: ALMS

The team believes that the 1,000-mile/10-hour Petit Le Mans is the perfect event for the Nissan DeltaWing to not only give fans the race finish they desire, but also demonstrate its prowess on a more traditional track, as opposed to the high-speed Le Mans circuit, which also incorporates public roads.

The DeltaWing will be driven at Petit by inaugural PlayStation GT Academy winner Lucas Ordonez and former Panoz works driver Gunnar Jeannette.

The following information was released by ALMS. Based on fuel consumption and tire wear data taken during more than six hours of running at Le Mans, the car was on course to achieve its goal of completing the 24 Hours using half the fuel and half the tires of its fellow entrants.

Data taken from a standard LMP2 car at Le Mans indicated that it used 2,350 liters (620 gallons) of fuel and changed tires every 300 miles (485km), going through nine sets. And, while the LMP2 car had a fuel consumption level of 5 mpg (47 litres/100km), Nissan DeltaWing was running at 10.7 mpg (23.5 litres/100km).

From ROC

Seven-time Formula 1 world champion Michael Schumacher will be in the line-up as the Race Of Champions celebrates its 25th year of competition in 2012. The German motor racing great - who has more F1 titles, wins and poles than anyone in history - will travel to Bangkok's Rajamangala Stadium, which will host the prestigious event on the weekend of December 15-16.

Held every year since 1988, the end-of-season contest brings together the world's greatest drivers from motor sport's main disciplines - including Formula 1, world rally, touring cars, Le Mans and the X-Games - and sets them free to battle head-to-head in identical machinery.

Drivers pair up for the ROC Nations Cup, this year scheduled for Saturday 15 December, before the individual Race Of Champions takes place on Sunday 16 December.

For the past five years Schumacher has joined up with Sebastian Vettel to take Team Germany to victory in the ROC Nations Cup. Reigning F1 world champion Vettel has already announced he will be back for more - and now Schumacher has confirmed that the winning duo will be reunited again. The pair will aim to add yet more Race Of Champions glory to their incredible haul of Formula 1 world championships.

Michael Schumacher and Sebastian Vettel, last year at Düsseldorf. (Photo: Race of Champions)

ROC 2012 will take place on a specially constructed tarmac track with two parallel lanes winding their way round Bangkok's Rajamangala Stadium. Built for the 1998 Asian Games, the 50,000-capacity stadium has since hosted Thailand's home football matches plus athletics, pop concerts and even political rallies.

IndyCar could be an option for currently suspended NASCAR driver A.J. Allmendinger according to his stock-car boss and Team Penske owner Roger Penske.

That is what the “Captain” said last Saturday at the Auto Club Speedway when asked what could be the future for the former CART/Champ Car ace.

At the request of Penske, Allmendinger attended last week-end IZOD IndyCar season's finale at Fontana to see people and talk to some team owners as well as renew with his former surroundings.

“I thought it would be good for him to get out, see people and maybe, open some doors for next year. He did a great job (in) Champ Car.”

Photo: LAT for IndyCar

As for Ryan Hunter-Reay, Penske said they began talking to him about six months ago, but the 2012 IndyCar champion was not allowed to negotiate with another team until the end of this season.

Finally, the American decided to stay put at Andretti Autosport for the next couple of seasons.

I've just returned from the Canadian launch of the all-new Hyundai Santa Fe. Well, if truth be told, as the aforementioned vehicle won't appear until sometime early 2013, what I've actually just experienced is the all-new 2013 Santa Fe Sport.


You see, the company plans to expand upon its Santa Fe lineup by including not only a direct replacement for its current model, but also a new, longer 7-passenger version which, although larger than the present model, will simply be known as the Santa Fe. Unfortunately, this all-new, supersize version (which will probably end up being referred to by most of us as the Santa Fe long wheelbase or LWB anyway), arrives after the all new replacement for the current standard-length model, which from here on is to be known as the Santa Fe Sport.

Confused? I'm not surprised, as it took yours truly a while to get his head around this little conundrum.

So, to reiterate; the out-going Santa Fe will be replaced by the 2013 Santa Fe Sport, and the LWB (although I'm not supposed to call it that), will become the new Santa Fe.

Phew! I'm glad I cleared that mess up!

Looking the part
So, what can I tell you about the new 2013 Hyundai Santa Fe Sport?

Well, the exterior certainly looks the part, what with its bold and stylish front end (think Sonata-like, and that's a good looking vehicle). Yes, although the previous generation was no Ugly Betty, this new 2013 Santa Fe is truly set to turn heads in the popular Crossover Utility Vehicle (CUV) market, and that's important for the company as the Santa Fe is one of its most successful nameplates.

Inside, the story follows along similar lines, and there's a surprising amount of standard equipment on offer in the 2013 Hyundai Santa Fe Sport including heated front seats, power windows, driver's seat power lumbar support, a six-speaker audio system (with Bluetooth® ), a tilt-and-telescoping steering wheel with audio controls, to name but a few. Move further up in the range and you'll discover such niceties as automatic climate control, leather-wrapped heated steering wheel, heated rear seats, leather seating surfaces, and possibly the best panoramic sunroof I've ever experienced.

This new 2013 Santa Fe is truly set to turn heads in the popular Crossover Utility Vehicle (CUV) market. (Photo: Hyundai)

Powerful choices
Power in the 2013 Hyundai Santa Fe comes from a choice of two 4-cylinder engines. The 2.4L (190 hp) DOHC inline 4-cylinder with Gasoline Direct Injection (GDI) is standard. However, for those seeking slightly more oomph, there is also a high-output 2.0L T-GDI inline 4-cylinder engine with a twin-scroll turbocharger available. This unit produces 264 hp and 269 lb-ft of torque (using regular fuel), which is roughly 12 hp more than the outgoing V6, and it will tow a 3,500 lb trailer with relative ease. The turbo four would certainly be my choice, as it transforms this CUV into an FCUV (“F” for fun!).

All 2013 Hyundai Santa Fe models are equipped with a 6-speed automatic transmission with SHIFTRONIC® manual mode, which I will happily testify to be an extremely competent unit. Front-wheel drive is standard, but an advanced active All-Wheel Drive (AWD) system is also available on the 2013 Hyundai Santa Fe. This system automatically activates as required, although under normal driving conditions the system only distributes power to the front wheels, thus reducing fuel consumption (9.5L/100 km and 6.0L/100 km for the 2.4L FWD; and 9.8L/100 km and 6.4L/100 km for the 2.0T FWD).

The 2.0L engine produces 264 horsepower and 269 lb-ft of torque. (Photo: Hyundai)

Sport on the badge and the road
On the road, the 2013 Hyundai Santa Fe handles well and is comfortable and surprisingly quiet. With MacPherson struts up front and a fully independent multilink suspension to the rear, the vehicle soaks up the bumps with relative ease. However, I did notice a slight bug with the steering. Although the vehicle features Hyundai's new Driver Selectable Steering Mode (DSSM) system, in anything but Sport mode it can appear a tad light at times. Select Comfort for city parking and it works well. However, if one forgets to switch back, you can expect a considerable amount of wander on the highway. I got around this by leaving the system permanently engaged in Sport mode.

Apart from that one small bug, the new 2013 Hyundai Santa Fe Sport is an exceptionally nice CUV.

Prices start at $26,499 for the 2.4L FWD, with the 2.0T AWD LTD topping out the range at $38,499. With most buyers expected to choose AWD, I'm going to predict that the well-appointed AWD Premium models will sell best at $30,299 (2.4), and $32,499 (2.0T).

You know, I may have been initially puzzled by the name change of the 2013 Hyundai Santa Fe, but I wasn't the least bit surprised to discover how pleasant this vehicle was. After all, the company has been batting well above average for some considerable time now, and the new Santa Fe Sport simply confirms this.

From GMM

A worried Red Bull is travelling to Singapore this week, hoping a spate of alternator problems do not return under the Asian city-state's floodlights.

Sebastian Vettel and Lotus' similarly Renault-powered Romain Grosjean were halted at Valencia earlier this year, and the problem returned on Vettel's Red Bull at Monza.

Then it emerged that the Pirelli test car, fitted with a 2010 specification of the Renault alternator, struck similar problems recently, while Grosjean substitute Jerome d'Ambrosio's Lotus almost failed at Monza.

"We do not need to tell Renault Sport what to do, because they know that it's absolutely urgent," Lotus technical director James Allison is quoted by Finland's MTV3.

It's a particularly urgent crisis for Red Bull, as while the reigning champions currently lead the constructors' championship, Vettel is behind not only Fernando Alonso (Ferrari) but also Lewis Hamilton (McLaren) and Kimi Raikkonen (Lotus) in the high profile drivers' chase.

"Basically, we are where we belong in the world championship," a plain-speaking Vettel is quoted by Germany's Sport1.

Start of the 2011 Singapore Grand Prix. (Photo: Pirelli)

The Adrian Newey-penned RB8 struggled for outright speed at ultra-fast Spa and Monza, but the even bigger question for Red Bull is why the car is often fast in practice but not in the more crucial sessions.

"We have found no answer," team boss Christian Horner admitted.

Red Bull is hoping for better this weekend, under the Singapore lights.

Sebastian Vettel won last year's night grand prix.

"We've been solid on street circuits this year," said Mark Webber, "so that gives us some confidence that the car will be towards the sharp end again."

From GMM

Lotus is doing so well because it is a "pure racing team".

That is the view of Robert Kubica, the Pole who surely would have been driving this year's impressive black and gold E20.

But the 27-year-old was seriously injured in a pre-season crash prior to the 2011 championship, and he is only now getting back to some minor rallying action, albeit without the full mobility of his right arm.

Lotus chief Eric Boullier admitted recently that he no longer has any contact with Kubica, who raced for the team when it was still officially called Renault in 2010.

"I have contact with his management but nothing else," said Boullier. "I've not been updated about his current state for a long time."

Robert Kubica aboard a Lotus Renault, beginning of February 2011. (Photo: WRi2)

Kubica, however, has admitted to admiring Lotus from afar in 2012.

"In my first year there it was Renault, but with the Genii Capital management," he told Italy's Omnicorse in an interview. I was left with a (works Renault) team that no longer existed. We started the season with the previous car and got some good results despite a significantly lower budget and a delay with the development of the car, because in the winter we didn't even know if the team would be there."

"Now I think it is starting to pay off," Kubica explained, "because already in 2010 you could see what the strengths of the team were. Lotus is a pure racing team, and today in F1 there are not many. If you look at the top teams, the major manufacturers, they are difficult to manage with so many people."

"Lotus is a team with just the racing passion. It's a big advantage," he insisted. "Also they have a very good group of just a few people who are able to make very good single seaters. And this year you can see that."

He admitted, however, that it is "strange" that Lotus has been unable to win a race so far with the very competitive E20.

"If Raikkonen could qualify higher on the grid, or Grosjean managed to keep up with Kimi during the race," said Kubica, "they would win."

So it's a driver problem?

"No, I didn't say that," insisted Kubica.

Romain Grosjean, Lotus E20. (Photo: WRi2)

But what about Romain Grosjean's Monza ban? Did the rookie Frenchman deserve that?

"I don't know," said Kubica, "it's not for me to judge, especially when I'm no longer part of that world. What I can say is that Grosjean, who is a guy I know well and is very smart, has wasted many opportunities this year.

"I'm surprised," he added. "Probably he is suffering too much with the pressure. F1 is even more complex than it seems. Believe me, it's not easy to understand when you're on the inside, let alone for those who are outside."